Rising WNBA star Angel Reese became the first player in Unrivaled to be ejected from a game Saturday after receiving two straight technical fouls, following a puzzling sequence.

Reese, a starter for the Rose, clapped her hands toward Laces guard Tiffany Hayes after a defensive stop in the second quarter. Reese gestured her left hand toward Hayes’ direction at least three times. But the referee assumed the gestures were towards him, so he issued the first technical foul.

Reese quickly received a second technical foul for excessively arguing the first tech as players, coaches and referees tried to sort out the sequence.

Reese posted a series of social media posts after the ejection, including “free me” and “clickbait. everything i do keep going viral.” She scored six points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Rose before her early exit. 

Rose coach Nola Henry believes the experience can be a learning moment for Reese.

“Everything happened pretty quickly. The players are super competitive, and at times that competitiveness makes them become a little bit emotional,” Henry said.

“While I understood her frustration completely, she’ll grow from that in terms of keeping her composure because she had 15 rebounds. Who’s to say she wouldn’t have been able to do that in the second half and then end up having 25 to 30 rebounds?’

Henry said she sought clarity from the referee on what Reese said, leading to the ejection.

“Not sure what it was that made him frustrated. I think there was a little bit of confusion just in the whole interaction altogether. So, just wanted clarity around what was said, and it wasn’t much.”

Henry said she would coach up her young star after the game.

“Still a super young player, so she’s growing and learning,” Henry said of Reese.

Reese is one of the most popular figures in women’s basketball after winning a national championship at LSU in 2023.

She was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the seventh pick in the first round of the 2024 WNBA draft, and was the WNBA’s leading rebounder in her rookie season last year.

Reese’s popularity has entered another stratosphere off the court. She appeared on the cover of Vogue Magazine last month. The Angel Reese Special at McDonald’s was also announced this week.

On the court, Reese’s 15 rebounds helped the Rose win their second Unrivaled game, 83-69 over the Laces.

Chelsea Gray scored the game-winning 3-pointer to finish with 28 points, while Azurá Stevens had 23 points and eight rebounds on her 29th birthday. Unrivaled fans serenated Stevens by singing “Happy Birthday” during her postgame interview on the court.

“We just stuck together, and pulled the win out,” Stevens said.

The Laces dropped their second straight game after a 4-0 start to the season. Hayes did not finish the game due to a concussion, while center Alyssa Thomas missed her third game due to a right leg injury. Kayla McBride had 20 points, while Jackie Young had 16 points for the Laces.

Breanna Stewart had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Aaliyah Edwards scored the game-winning 2-pointer, and the Mist won 77-67 in the first game on Saturday night.

Four Mist players scored in double figures to win their first Unrivaled game after a 0-4 start. They overcame a monster night by the Vinyl’s Dearica Hamby, who scored 35 points with 15 rebounds in the loss.

Week 3 of Unrivaled ends Monday night, when Sabrina Ionescu and the Phantom face the Mist at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Vinyl and Napheesa Collier’s Lunar Owls.

Unrivaled highlights

Unrivaled final score: Rose 83, Laces 69

Chelsea Gray scored 28 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer, and the Rose won their second game of the Unrivaled season with an 83-69 win over the Laces on Saturday night.

Azurá Stevens had 23 points and eight rebounds on her 29th birthday, as fans in Unrivaled’s arena serenated her by singing “Happy Birthday” during her postgame interview on the court.

“We just stuck together, and pulled the win out,” Stevens said.

Kahleah Copper added 23 points, while Angel Reese had six points and 15 rebounds before being ejected after two technical fouls in the second quarter.

Kayla McBride had 20 points, while Jackie Young had 16 points for the Laces. They’ve lost two straight games after starting 4-0. Tiffany Hayes had 14 points, but left the game early due to a concussion. The Laces also played without Alyssa Thomas, who missed her third game due to a right leg injury.

Unrivaled final score: Mist 77, Vinyl 67

Breanna Stewart and the Mist are winless no more.

Stewart had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Aaliyah Edwards scored the game-winning 2-pointer, and the Mist won 77-67 in the first game on Saturday night.

Four Mist players scored in double figures to overcome a monster night by the Vinyl’s Dearica Hamby, who scored 35 points with 15 rebounds.

Edwards had 16 points, Jewell Loyd added 15 points and Rickea Jackson had 13 points for the Mist, who lost their first four Unrivaled games. The Mist shot 58% from the field, and 50% from 3-point range in the win.

“When you’re 0-4 it’s tough. But we continue to grind, and here we are,” Stewart said in a postgame interview on the court after the game.

The Vinyl, which won its first two Unrivaled games in Week 1, is riding a three-game losing streak.

Unrivaled score: Vinyl 65, Mist 64 after third quarter

Target winning score: 76

We’ve got a back-and-forth contest between the Vinyl and the Mist, heading into the fourth quarter with a target winning score of 76 points.

Dearica Hamby has 33 points and 15 rebounds for the Vinyl, while Breanna Stewart leads four Mist players in double figures with 18 points.

Unrivaled halftime score: Mist 42, Vinyl 39 after second quarter

Dearica Hamby has 21 points in the first half for the Vinyl, but the Mist lead 42-39 at halftime.

The Mist led by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, before Hamby singlehandedly helped the Vinyl close the gap in the second quarter.

Breanna Stewart has 12 points, and Rickea Jackson added 11 points for the Mist – still looking for its first Unrivaled win.

Rhyne Howard appeared to suffer an injury, but stayed in the game to finish the quarter for the Vinyl.

Unrivaled score: Mist 22, Vinyl 21 after first quarter

Breanna Stewart leads all scorers with 10 points, and the Mist lead 22-21 after the first quarter.

Dearica Hamby leads the Vinyl with nine points.

How to watch Unrivaled games on TV Saturday night?

Unrivaled is available on cable television on TruTV in the United States, and TSN+ in Canada.

How to live stream Unrivaled games on Saturday night?

Unrivaled games are also available to live stream on Max, and internationally on YouTube.

Watch: Unrivaled games on Sling TV

Vinyl (2-2) vs. Mist (0-4) at 6 p.m.

Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart leads the Mist in nearly every statistical category, but the club is the only winless side in the league.

Meanwhile, the Vinyl hopes to get back on track. They won their first two games in Week 1, but dropped both games in Week 2.

Dearica Hamby leads the Vinyl with 19.0 points per game (fifth in Unrivaled), while Rhyne Howard averages 17.5 points (eighth). Jewell Loyd leads the Mist with 17.7 points (seventh), while Stewart has 17.5 points (ninth) and 11.8 rebounds per game (tied for first).

Laces (4-1) vs. Rose (1-4) at 7:30 p.m.

The Laces dropped their first game of the season against the Lunar Owls in a battle of unbeaten teams, while the Rose fell to Sabrina Ionescu and the Phantom on Friday night.

The Laces are led by Kayla McBride (25.6 ppg, second in Unrivaled) and Tiffany Hayes (19.4 ppg, fourth). Kahleah Copper is the leading scorer for Rose (14.8 ppg), while Angel Reese has averaged 11.2 points and 8.0 rebounds.

Both teams faced each other last Monday, with the Laces winning 71-64.

Angel Reese has new McDonald’s deal

Starting Feb. 10, you can order the Angel Reese Special, which includes a BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese topped with a new BBQ sauce, plus French fries and a drink.

WNBA free agency, offseason takes flight

The Unrivaled games come during a blockbuster week where several WNBA players will be on the move next season.

Griner agreed to a free agent deal with the Atlanta Dream after 11 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury.
The Laces’ Alyssa Thomas was traded from the Connecticut Sun after 11 seasons to the Mercury.
A three-team trade featuring Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum and several 2025 WNBA draft picks started the frenzy.

What is Unrivaled?

Six teams with 36 of the best women’s basketball players in the world, including Sabrina Ionescu and Brittney Griner, will compete in the 3-on-3, full court games.

Where is Unrivaled playing games?

Games will be played at Wayfair Arena in Medley, Florida, which is in the Miami metropolitan area, about 7 miles from Miami International Airport.

Unrivaled team names and rosters

Laces: Stefanie Dolson, Tiffany Hayes, Natisha Hiedeman (relief player contract), Kate Martin, Kayla McBride, Alyssa Thomas, Jackie Young.
Lunar Owls: Shakira Austin, Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Courtney Williams, Cameron Brink (IR).
Mist: DiJonai Carrington, Aaliyah Edwards, Rickea Jackson, Jewell Loyd, NaLyssa Smith (relief player contract), Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot.
Phantom: Natasha Cloud, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally, Katie Lou Samuelson.
Rose: Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Lexie Hull, Angel Reese, Azura Stevens, Brittney Sykes.
Vinyl: Aliyah Boston, Rae Burrell, Jordin Canada, Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard, Arike Ogunbowale.

Unrivaled rules to know 

Unrivaled games start with three seven-minute quarters, and games end when the target winning score is reached in the fourth quarter. The target winning score is 11 points higher than the highest team’s score after the third quarter, known as the Elam Ending. 
Players also take just one free throw after being fouled: A free throw equals two or three points depending on the shooting foul. 
How long is the Unrivaled court size? It’s is 72 feet long by 49.2 feet wide. NBA and WNBA courts are 94 feet long and 50 feet wide. 

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As North Carolina officials assess the state of their basketball program in Hubert Davis’ fourth season, they only need to ask themselves one simple question. 

Do they have one of the top-10 basketball coaches in the country or not? 

If the Tar Heels believe they do, then Davis should get one more chance to fix a program that looks shockingly broken. 

If they conclude that Davis isn’t a top-10 coach, then they need to make a change, they need to do it after this season, and they need to hire someone who fits in that category regardless of whether that person has any prior connection to the school. 

Because that’s what North Carolina deserves. It’s not what North Carolina has. 

What happened Saturday night in an 87-70 loss to Duke that was never competitive should be unacceptable for North Carolina under any circumstances. But it’s also not a one-off or a fluke or one bad game.

It’s a microcosm of a program that has fallen into the trap of believing that everything will be fine when your eyes and ears tell you a more uncomfortable truth. But will North Carolina be willing to see and hear it? 

Davis, who is by most accounts a wonderful man in the truly important ways, became North Carolina’s head coach primarily for two reasons: Because he played under Dean Smith and because that’s what Roy Williams wanted after he retired in 2021. 

It made sense. North Carolina is one of those programs that has historically really, really cared about its basketball coach being part of the family. Davis, who was an NBA player and TV commentator before joining the Tar Heels bench as an assistant, was simply the next in line. 

And when he took North Carolina to the national title game in 2022 — beating Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski in his final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium and then again in the Final Four to end his career — it was a legendary run for which Tar Heel fans will forever be grateful. 

But nobody, whether inside or outside the North Carolina fan base, needs to lie to each other about what that season was. 

The Tar Heels, who were a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, got hot at the right time and rode a crazy shotmaking streak from mercurial guard Caleb Love to the brink of a national championship before ultimately losing to Kansas. 

It was almost a storybook ending. In the moment, it felt like validation for Davis, who had been questioned earlier that season when North Carolina looked like an NCAA bubble team. 

But nearly three years later, we have a lot more data on the Tar Heels program under Davis. 

It’s not pretty. 

The next year, North Carolina was so dysfunctional — with largely the same team that made the championship game — that it turned down an NIT bid and ended its season 20-13. 

Last year, the Tar Heels were one of college basketball’s most experienced teams and seemed to bounce back, going 17-3 in the ACC and getting a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But after an ACC tournament loss to NC State and a Sweet 16 loss to Alabama, it did not feel like a huge success.

And now this year, with the Tar Heels sitting at 13-10 overall and 6-5 in the ACC, it’s hard to see a path to the NCAAs for this team unless they win the conference tournament title. 

That would be two out of four years for Davis missing the Big Dance. That’s just not good enough — not for arguably the best job in college basketball. 

You can argue for Kansas or Kentucky or even Duke, but North Carolina basketball should not take a back seat to anyone and should not look for excuses when that standard isn’t being met.

Bad years can happen to anyone, but North Carolina cannot be in the business of basketball mediocrity and cannot accept missing NCAA tournaments every other season. Giving Davis a fifth year for any reason other than believing that he’s a top-10 coach in the country would be an admission that the university no longer considers its basketball job one of the best in all of college sports.

As much as Davis represents what North Carolina wants its program to be about and the generational continuity from Smith to Williams to another beloved alum, this is a business. You’re either good enough or you’re not. And given North Carolina’s tradition, its brand, its resources and its attractiveness to recruits, there is no reason for the program to tolerate being coached badly. 

Unfortunately for Davis, that’s what’s happening on his watch. Nearly four years into his tenure, it’s fairly clear he isn’t a top-10 coach, a top-20 coach or a top-30 coach. So why would North Carolina allow that to continue? 

Because he’s a really classy guy? Because he’s an alum? Because he made a national championship game? If that’s the standard, Bruce Weber, Ben Howland, Paul Hewitt and Mike Davis would have had job security for life. Alas, that’s not how the world works at programs that are serious about basketball. 

North Carolina has a lot to think about over the next couple months. Maybe it’s time to aim a little higher. Maybe it’s time to admit that you don’t need to be a North Carolina alum to be a great coach. Maybe it’s time to get serious and stop with this ridiculous idea that being in the family is a prerequisite to coach this basketball team. 

Is North Carolina serious? If Davis is back on the sideline next year, it won’t merely be fair to ask that question, it will be necessary. 

There was a seismic shift taking place across the Western Conference Saturday night when the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz combined forces to make jaws drop. To sum up, Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic are being traded.

Social media reacted accordingly.

A relatively calm NBA trade deadline period hit its apex as Saturday night turned into Sunday morning for most of the country. That’s when ESPN’s Shams Charania dropped a Shams-bomb so extreme it caused many to believe his account was hacked.

The Lakers reached a deal to acquire Doncic from the Mavericks as part of a three-team trade that has Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick going to Dallas in a stunning blockbuster trade that also involves the Utah Jazz, a person familiar with details of the deal told USA TODAY Sports.

The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly until the trade is official.

The Lakers will also receive Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in the trade.

With superstars changing zip codes, the world had some thoughts.

Lakers-Mavericks trade: Reactions to Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic deal

The boo birds are out in Lexington, Kentucky.

John Calipari returned to Kentucky’s Rupp Arena on Saturday for the first time since leaving in April to take the head coaching position at Arkansas. Heading into the SEC matchup between the Wildcats and Razorbacks, many wondered if Calipari would receive a warm welcome, including Calipari himself.

‘Walking in there will be emotions. I look forward to walking as the opposing coach,’ he said on Thursday. ‘In my time, I don’t remember them ever cheering an opposing coach, so I’m fine. (The fans) are engaged and my guess is that they’ll be engaged on Saturday night.’

Calipari guessed right. Big Blue Nation unleashed a chorus of boos as Calipari stepped on the court, where he coached the Wildcats from 2009 to 2024 and led the team to the 2012 national championship and four Final Four appearances.

Calipari shared an embrace with Mark Pope, who succeeded him as Kentucky’s head coach, ahead of tipoff.

Despite the icy reception, Calipari said his opinion of the Kentucky fanbase remains unchanged.

‘You’re not going to erase from my mind what we’ve done (in Kentucky). You can’t erase history. That’s what it was,’ Calipari said ahead of his return. ‘The fans are terrific. They were terrific during our run.’

Calipari got the last laugh on Saturday.

In the defining moment of Calipari’s tenure to this point, his Razorbacks upended the No. 12 Wildcats 89-79.

Arkansas vs. Kentucky highlights

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Speaking to reporters on Saturday, third-year coach Matt Rhule said he ‘highly doubts’ the annual spring game, one of the country’s most attended, will be played again. He blamed the transfer portal.

‘I don’t know that yet, but I’ll be honest with you. I highly doubt it,’ Rhule said about the future of the spring game. ‘I hate to say this, but last year we were one of the more televised spring games and I dealt with a lot of people offering our players a lot of opportunities after that.

‘To go out and bring in a bunch of new players and then showcase them for all the other schools to watch, that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.’

Nebraska’s spring game was held on April 27, 2024, in front of 60,452 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The game was also televised on the Big Ten Network. Following the spring game, the Cornhuskers suffered a few losses to the transfer portal.

“The word ‘tampering’ doesn’t exist anymore,” Rhule said. “It’s just an absolute free open common market. I don’t necessarily want to open up to the outside world. I don’t these guys all being able to watch our guys and say, ‘Wow, he looks like a pretty good player. Let’s go get him.’ ‘

While a ‘traditional spring’ game for the Cornhuskers doesn’t seem likely, Rhule did say he wants to have the opportunity to ‘show off’ his players to the fans in some fashion. Nebraska could hold an event on April 26 to end spring practices. The transfer portal for the spring cycle closes on April 25 this year.

‘I do want to show off our players in some way,’ he said. ‘So what exactly will it be? … I have not worried about anything other than recruiting right now.’

The first two tickets to WrestleMania 41 have been punched.

‘Main Event’ Jey Uso and the ‘Queen’ Charlotte Flair emerged as the winners of the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches, respectively, in Indianapolis on Saturday night, ensuring their spots in championship matches at WrestleMania in April. They took two different paths to their monumental wins; Flair is a 14-time WWE Champion and can add to her decorated career, while Uso is continuing to build up his singles career in a major way.

WWE’s grand event is still more than two months away. Who will Flair and Uso face at WrestleMania 41? And what will be in store for them leading up to it? Here’s a look at what could be ahead for the 2025 Royal Rumble winners:

What’s next for Charlotte Flair?

The two-time Royal Rumble winner was out of action for more than a year prior to her return. Since she hasn’t been involved in any storylines, she has plenty of options open.

‘I’m coming for my title at WrestleMania. I just haven’t decided which one,’ she said at her press conference.

A matchup with Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Championship is an enticing option. Still young in her career, Stratton has been viewed as the next possible multi-time champion given her natural talent and ability to do just about anything in the ring. In a way, she’s just like a younger Flair, and a possible match could be a passing-of-the-torch moment for the next generation of wrestling.

However, there’s another option that’s too good to pass up for WWE: Flair vs. Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship in the WrestleMania trilogy match. In 2020, the two faced off at WrestleMania 36 for the NXT Women’s Championship while Ripley was still a rising prospect and the experienced Flair got the best of her. Three years later, they dueled at WrestleMania 39 in what was one of the best matches of the year, with Ripley claiming the Women’s World Championship.

Two years since their last fight, the landscape of WWE has changed. That WrestleMania 39 win is arguably when Ripley launched herself into stardom. She’s now a veteran with star power, the biggest star in the women’s division, far from the same person that faced Flair in the past. Flair wants to prove she is ‘the history-making, groundbreaking, never scared, always prepared, self-made and always paid. The woman of WWE,’ … so why not put two of the biggest names together one more time in another thriller?

What’s next for Jey Uso?

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

The main event is officially in the hands of the ‘Main Event’ man, and typically the men’s Royal Rumble winner would go after the top prize in WWE. But it isn’t that simple.

Since becoming a singles star, Uso has competed for the World Heavyweight Championship three times on TV, and he has fallen short each time, including against Gunther a week ago at Saturday Night’s Main Event. It’s been one of his biggest goals, and he even admitted heading into the night it was something he was planning to chase if he won. Now that he was the last one standing, that thinking may have changed.

‘Now it’s in concrete right now and it’s after the Rumble and I really won it, I’m looking at both (titles),’ Uso said.

The thought of Uso competing against friend Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship seems wild considering it didn’t seem like a possibility until Saturday night. Yet, it’s an option that’s now possible. He really could be in the main event in the biggest show possible.

But is it realistic? No. While Uso is absolutely over with the crowd, he isn’t WrestleMania main-event ready. He has improved dramatically since the dud at WrestleMania 40 with his brother Jimmy, but he isn’t there yet. There are so many big names − John Cena, CM Punk, Roman Reigns to name a few − that would be better draws to face Rhodes and make much more sense. The storylines and build-up would help make it a WrestleMania classic.

The right move for Uso would be challenging Gunther again. The current champion has trashed Uso’s ability in the ring, but Uso could change the narrative by dethroning Gunther in Las Vegas.

‘I would like one more crack at Gunther. I really feel like I can beat Gunther,’ Uso said.

It’s not the typical route for the Royal Rumble winner, but it’s the right one for ‘Mr. Yeet.’

Bech caught the game-winning touchdown for Team American in the Senior Bowl on Saturday in Mobile, Alabama. Bech broke down in the end zone following the game-winning catch from Seth Henigan as his teammates mobbed him in celebration.

He did so wearing a No. 7 jersey to honor his brother and former Princeton football player Martin ‘Tiger’ Bech, who was one of 14 people killed in the New Orleans truck attack on New Year’s Day. Following the game, Bech embraced his parents and celebrated by being named the Senior Bowl MVP.

‘It’s simple, my brother has some wings on me,’ Bech said after the game to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. ‘He gave them to me and let all of that all take place. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Tiger, nothing else but them. They are the reason I did what I did today. I attribute it all to them.’

Bech, 22, led the Horned Frogs with 1,034 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in the 2024 season, and a strong week at the Senior Bowl likely will help him garner NFL draft interest.

Here’s what you need to know about Jack Bech:

Jack Bech’s brother, Tiger, dies in New Orleans attack

Tiger Bech, who spent three seasons playing college football for Princeton in 2016-18, was among those killed in the New Orleans attack on Jan. 1. The news was first confirmed by Kim Broussard, the athletic director at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, Louisiana, where Bech attended school. Jack Bech later confirmed the news on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

‘Love you always brother,’ Bech wrote on X. ‘You inspired me (every day) now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don’t worry. This is for us.’

Bech, who wore No. 13 with TCU, switched to the No. 7 jersey during the Senior Bowl practices and game to honor his brother.

‘I’ve got angel wings on me,’ Bech said to Fox Sports about wearing his brother’s number. ‘I’ve got the greatest guardian angel of them all, pulling me to where I am now. This was his last test for me, knowing if I can get past this, anything that’s thrown at me will be nothing compared to this.’

Jack Bech stats

Bech was a Biletnikoff semifinalist this season after finishing with 1,034 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He had 647 yards and six touchdowns in the first five game of the season.

He began his collegiate career with LSU and finished with 133 catches for 1,869 yards and 13 touchdowns over four seasons.

Bech finished with six receptions for 68 yards, including the game-winning touchdown on a play that started with seven seconds left at the Senior Bowl. He could be a mid-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Here’s a look at Bech’s collegiate stats:

2021 (LSU): 43 receptions for 489 yards and three touchdowns
2022 (LSU): 16 receptions for 200 yards and one touchdown
2023 (TCU): 12 receptions for 146 yards
2024 (TCU): 62 receptions for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns
Career: 133 receptions for 1,869 yards and 13 touchdowns